Chicken-feeder.



c. WYCKEART.

CHICKEN FEEDER.

APPLICATION man 056.22. 1915.

1 ,1 99,328. Patented Sept. 26, 1916.

' III u u m In H N {O E o 1 5 o a 19m 16 11 0 a O 00 I J j "000 21 N VEN TOR.

WITNESS! igb L/30%;) 6% W712 BY 6 ,77 MW CHARLES WYCKEART, 0F STOCKTON, CALIFORNIA.

CHICKEN-FEEDER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 26, 1916.

Application filed December 22,1915. Serial N 0. 68,164.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, CHARLES WYGKEART, a citizen of the United States, residing at Stockton, in the county of San Joaquin, State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Chicken- Feeders; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the characters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this application.

This invention relates to an improved means for feeding chickens, the object of the improved invention being to produce a feeder for the chickens which will be both sanitary and economical and which at the same time will make it necessary for the chicken to perform a reasonable amount of exercise in the obtaining of its food.

A further object of the invention is to produce a simple and inexpensive device and yet one which will be exceedingly effective for the purposes for which it is designed.

These objects I accomplish by means of such structure and relative arrangement of the parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the following specification and claims.

In the drawings similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several views.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the complete device. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view in section of the feed delivery hopper and delivering means.

Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on the drawings, the numeral 1 designates the platform having holes 2 by means of which the same can be secured in any suitable flooring such as concrete, Wood or other desired material. This platform 1 may be made of any suitable metal or other material and is providedwith a central receptacle 3 having a plurality of vertical cross bars 4 forming slots 5 into which may be placed feed of any desired kind. In getting this feed it is necessary that the chickens scratch between the said bars 4 which gets them in the habit of scratching for their food.

On the platform 1 is a receptacle 6 into which I project a hopper 7 arranged to contain the feed, which hopper 7 discharges into a delivery chute 8 terminating in a feed receptacle 9 below and outside of the receptacle 6, on each side of which receptacle 9, is a barred receptacle 10 which may contain feed or water as a bait for attracting the attention of the chicken to the feeder.

Arranged within the delivery chute 8 is the delivery wheel which comprises a shaft 11 mounted on which, is quite a large sized hub 12 provided with radial delivery vanes 13, Secured in the chute 8 in advance of the plane of operation of the vanes 13 is an obstacle 14 which prevents any overflow of the feed through the chute 8 into the receptacle 9. At each end of the hub 12 is a projecting flange 15 between which flanges the vanes 13 extend, such flanges 15 forming a guide to prevent any of the feed in the chute 8 from passing down the chute except through these flanges 15.

The numeral 16 designates an agitating finger member which is provided with a spring 17 which normally holds it against the vanes 13 so that with the revolution of the hub 12 the vanes 13 will keep acting against the finger member 16 to cause it to agitate the feed in the chute 8 to prevent it from becoming clogged. On the outer end of the shaft 11 is a pulley 18 connected by a belt 19 of any suitable design, with another pulley 19 on a shaft 20 projecting across the under side of the platform 1 in advance of the receptacles 9 and 10.

On the shaft 20 is a roller made up of a plurality of spaced bars 21 or such other suitable structure as will present a corrugated or rough surface, and said roller projects through a slot 22 in the platform 1 just in advance of the receptacles 9 and 10.

The chicken, attracted by the feed in the receptacles 3 and 10, approaches upon the platform 1 and scratches between the bars 4 to get the feed from the slots 5. Being thus initiated into the habit of scratching for its food, it will come in contact with the corrugated or rough surface causing the' roller to revolve. The revolution of such roller will rotate the shaft 20 and pulley 19 and this, through the medium of the belt'19 will rotate the pulley 18 and incidentally the shaft 11. This action will rotate the hub 12, vanes 13 and flanges 15 as a unit. Since the feed in the chute will naturally run between the flanges 15 with the revolution of the vanes 13, such vanes will engage a few kernels of the food and carry it over and discharge it into the receptacle 9 outside of the bafilelplate 14 with each revolution of the said hub 12. The feed is continually agitated, as indicated, by the member 16. Thus every time the chicken scratches this causes the roller 21 to revolve and a delivery of a few kernels .of grain will be made into the receptacle 9.

From the foregoing description it can readily be seen that an exceedingly sanitary, economical and healthful feeder has been designed by me in this present invention.

It will also be seen that'I'have produced 1 claims.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and useful and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A device of the character described comprising a horizontal roller arranged to,

be rotated by the scratching of a chicken, a storage receptacle provided with a discharge mechanism having a discharging oulet terminating in a receiving receptacle, and means connected between the roller and such feeding mechanism whereby with the rotation of the roller the feeding mechanism Copies 0! this patent may be obtained.- for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

will discharge into said receiving receptacle, as described.

2. A device of the character described comprising a platform provided with a slot, a roller arranged below the platform and projecting through the slot, a storage receptacle and a receiving receptacle, and means operable by the rotation of said roller for delivering material from the storage receptacle to the receiving receptacle, as de-- scribed.

3. A device of the character described comprisingga storage receptacle and a receiving receptacle with means for delivering material from the oneto the other, a horizontal roller disposed adjacent the receiving receptacle, and means operably connectedbetween the roller and the delivery means for throwing the latter into operation when .the roller is. rotated, as described} LA device of the character described comprising a receptacle, a hopper within' the-receptacle, a delivery'chute,said hopper discharging into theidelilvery chute, a baffle" plate in the delivery chute, rotating vanes arranged within the chute to be operatedto deliver material from one side of the. baflle plate in the chute to the other side,

and means operable to rotate said vanes, as

described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

CHARLES WVYCKEABT.

Washington, D. G. 

